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Author: Katerina Mayakovskaya*

* 18+ THIS MATERIAL (INFORMATION) WAS PRODUCED, DISTRIBUTED AND (OR) SENT BY FOREIGN AGENT EKATERINA ALEKSEEVNA MAYAKOVSKAYA OR CONCERNING THE ACTIVITIES OF FOREIGN AGENT EKATERINA ALEKSEEVNA MAYAKOVSKAYA

In 2020, thousands of concerned Bashkortostan residents stopped the Bashkir Soda Company on the slope of the Kushtau Shikhan. Head of the Republic Radiy Khabirov proposed This ancient mountain, Bashkortostan, was considered an "alternative" to Toratau: a unique natural monument, one of the symbols of the republic, was supposed to solve the Bashkortostan raw materials problem and thus share the bitter fate of Shakhtau, once one of the four majestic shikhans of Bashkortostan, in the place of which, more than 70 years later, there is only a quarry. 

Local residents and environmental activists protested. The standoff culminated in July and August 2020, when BSK began clear-cutting forests on the mountainside. Thousands of residents of the republic arrived and set up camp at the foot of Kushtau. A standoff raged for several days between protesters on one side and security forces, BSK employees, and private security guards on the other. The authorities were unable to disperse the activists. 

On August 16, Radiy Khabirov went out to the protesters in the pouring rain and said On the suspension of work: "BSC is leaving, you're leaving. And I give you my word here that no one will go up this mountain until we find a compromise solution."

However, five years later, Bashkir Soil Company and the authorities still haven't identified new sources of raw materials, the reserves of the destroyed Shakhtau are running low, and the company has come under the control of Roskhim. Could this threaten Kushtau, and will its status as a regional natural monument be protected, given that the authorities can justify almost any action with the use of war? NeMoskva spoke with experts about this.

Whose is BSK now?

BSC ranks first in Russia and sixth globally in the production of baking soda and soda ash, exporting to dozens of countries. Its market share in Russia for soda ash is 62%, and for baking soda, 72%. 

The main consequence of the "battle for Kushtau" for Bashkir Soda was not so much the loss of a source of raw materials, but a change in the ownership structure. 

At the beginning of 2020, according to the SPARK-Interfax counterparty database, Bashkir Soda Company was considered a private business with a significant, but not decisive, shareholding in the republic: the Republic-owned Regional Fund JSC held 38,28% of the shares, Bashkhim JSC held 57,18%, and Trading House Bashkhim LLC held another 0,26%. 

The protests in Kushtau prompted federal authorities to declare the need to nationalize BSC. In late August 2020, Putin suddenly became interested in how the company was privatized. He He accused shareholders in the "pumping of money" into offshore accounts and ordered a prosecutorial investigation into the 2013 deal, when the state lost control of BSC. 

The result was the complete deprivatization of the company: by March 2021, 95,72% of the shares, including those controlled by the Republic, were transferred Rosimushchestvo. 

Deprivatization as a symptom of the new times
The deprivatization of BSC is not a unique case, notes economist Vsevolod Spivak. He compares the situation surrounding the company to what happened to Yukos—they are similar, if not in the legal mechanism, then in essence. 
A similar example exists at the republic level—the deprivatization of Bashneft. "The company was seized from Vladimir Yevtushenkov under the pretext that it had been privatized illegally. To reinstate the missed statute of limitations, the Prosecutor General's Office claimed it only learned of Bashneft's privatization in 2014," says Spivak. 
According to the expert, it became immediately clear that the deprivatization of market companies is becoming systemic. Current legislation allows for the nationalization of not only previously privatized companies, but also those that were originally created as private businesses—for example, like this one. было with "Rolf" of businessman Sergei Petrov.
The way the sale of BSK to Roskhim was carried out "is not a normal market mechanism, even if it was formally legal," Vsevolod Spivak is convinced. 

By September 2021, Bashkortostan got back its stake in the property. And in June 2025, it became known that the state sold 57,43% of BSC shares to the holding company JSC Roskhim, affiliated with Arkady and Boris Rotenberg - and for just 17 billion rubles. 

Representatives of Roskhim then assured, that 11,7% “plan to transfer” to trust management Bashkortostan—so that, together with the 38,4% transferred to the Republic, it controls 50,1% of the company. However, this mechanism doesn't imply real control, economist Vsevolod Spivak comments in an interview with NeMoskva, and appears more like an attempt to "disguise the company's transition to private management in order to reduce the level of public debate." Revoking the power of attorney is easy. 

Spivak also points out that the Rotenbergs' stake was sold "very cheaply":  

"Only 17 billion, although until 2020 the company paid out approximately seven to eight billion in dividends annually. In other words, it was sold with a three- to four-year payback period. This price may be due to the fact that no one other than Roskhim's beneficiaries has sufficient administrative resources to be confident that they can resolve the raw material supply issue."

Spivak is convinced that a commercially oriented owner would be a more preferable option for BSK than the government or the “official oligarchy”:  

"For me, this is a fundamental axiom. The past four years have proven it, even in the case of BSC: the debt burden didn't decrease, dividends fell sharply, and meanwhile, the managers bought themselves cars for 44 million rublesUntil 2020, the management model was also ineffective: the owners did not invest more than was necessary to ensure minimum production safety. However, given the tasks they faced, they performed well.

Commodity issue

That Bashkir Soda needs an alternative to Kushtau, immediately after the protests говорил The company's CEO, Eduard Davydov, claimed that without new sources, BSC would run out of raw materials by 2024 and be forced to reduce production capacity. 

However, soon It revealedIt was still possible to continue developing the subsoil of the already destroyed Shakhtau—below the groundwater level. But the decision to "finish off" Shakhtau was clearly short-term, so the search for raw materials continued. 

In April 2021 Khabirov claimedthat the republic's authorities are considering six more alternatives. The main called — and in a very confident tone — the Khudolazskoye deposit in the south of the republic, which would provide BSC with limestone for 40–50 years. Later, in 2024, they sounded statements about the existence of "at least ten alternatives." No further clarity has emerged since then. The soda company continues to develop what remains of Shakhtau (according to latest estimates, it will last until 2028 inclusive), does not publicly announce anything about further plans. 

Bashkortostan has numerous deposits of the limestone needed for Bashkortostan's production, explains ecologist, PhD in biology, and former member of the Russian Civic Chamber Sergei Simak in an interview with NeMoskva. After all, limestone is the remnants of bottom sediments, and Bashkortostan is essentially located on the bottom of the Ancient Ural Sea, which is entirely composed of limestone. The sediments offers near Sterlitamak, in the Baimaksky, Abzelilovsky, Beloretsky, Uchalinsky districts.

But the Bashkir Soda Company was always interested in the shikhans. 

"Shikhans are places where tectonic movements have forced limestone to the surface. There, it's practically exposed, making it very easy to extract. In other places, it's covered by sedimentary rocks, requiring access somehow. In the western, central, and southern parts of Bashkortostan, the land is occupied by either settlements, agricultural land, or transportation infrastructure, which also hinders extraction," Simak explains. "What is a shikhan for a manager? It's just a mountain. It's easy to extract, and once you've dug it out, you can build something else 'useful' there. A landfill, for example." 

Is a repeat of the protests possible?

Even after the war in Ukraine began, amid tightening laws and increasing repression, Bashkortostan remained one of the most protest-active regions in Russia. Researchers count them.that this is not only a reaction to economic or environmental threats, but also a way of collective self-affirmation, where ethnicity and sacralization become key motives.

Ruslan Valiev, publisher of the media project "Aspects - Bashkortostan," who actively covered the struggle for Kushtau, believes that history itself makes the Bashkirs rebels. These people have always lived freely, as nomadic or semi-nomadic tribes, and maintained their own self-government even after joining the Tsardom of Moscow. 

"I think this historical memory has remained among the population that has preserved its cultural roots. Primarily, the rural population. They remember legends, stories, traditions, and beliefs. And in times of need, this gives them the strength to defend their rights. But, of course, there's a limit to everything," says Valiev. 

It was in Bashkortostan, in the city of Baimak, that the most massive rallies since the beginning of the war took place in January 2024. protests, which was caused by the conviction of activist Fail Alsynov. But the result of those protests was "Baimak case": the largest political trial in the history of modern Russia in terms of the number of people persecuted – over 80 people. 

Those who once defended Kushtau were also persecuted. One of the driving forces behind that protest, the public organization "Bashkort," was liquidated by court order as extremist, and its activities were banned. This was followed by personal prosecution of those involved. For example, against activist Ruslan Gabbasov. excited A criminal case for organizing an extremist community (he left Russia). Pensioner Ilmira Bikbaeva sentenced to three years suspended imprisonment. Activist Aidar Nasyrov deprived registration of a candidate for deputy of the district council. 

"The war in Ukraine, wielded by the power vertical, justifies repression and prohibitions," Valiev comments. "There are serious doubts [that mass protests are possible again]. We are currently witnessing a lack of protection for Kyrkty-Tau in the Trans-Urals. A wave of discontent among the locals initially grew, but it subsided after preventive measures by security forces, which intimidated activists, and a criminal case was filed against one of them." 

See also: Who's the boss of the copper mountain? The metallurgical business is trying for the second time. go to the Kyrkty-Tau ridge in Bashkortostan. 

Will the protected status protect? 

Kushtau's uniqueness is multifaceted, says Sergei Simak. Shikhan consists of rocks formed 230–290 million years ago and contains numerous paleontological artifacts—organisms that lived in the seas of that time. It is also home to approximately forty species listed in the Red Data Books of the Russian Federation and Bashkortostan. 

"And, paradoxically, it's a unique steppe ecosystem. Most of the steppe ecosystems in this region have been destroyed: plowed, built up, and so on. And they've only survived in a few, 'inconvenient' places. Therefore, ecologically, Kushtau as an ecosystem is no less, and even more, unique."

value than just individual species.

The logical conclusion of the struggle for the mountain was receipt shikhan status of a natural monument, a specially protected natural area (SPNA). He prohibits Any activity that could lead to destruction, damage, or alteration of the property, including mineral extraction, is prohibited. Uses that do not cause harm are permitted, such as tourism and scientific research.

Kushtau is a regional monument, meaning the decision to remove its protected status can be made at the republic level. If the Bashkortostan government chooses to take this approach, it will require expert opinions, public hearings, approval from federal authorities, and valid reasons—for example, the loss of the site's unique properties or value. 

In general, Kushtau today has two protected statuses: the mountain is also a geological heritage site of universal significanceBut the second status has no legal weight in Russia, only reputational. 

However, none of the statuses provides a 100% guarantee of protection, notes Sergei Simak. 

"There are many precedents. For example, about 15 years ago, Samara underwent a major review of its list of natural monuments, and about a third of them lost their status for various reasons, including the Voronezh Lakes. A status can be granted or revoked. Where there's a will, there's a justification," the ecologist comments. 

Attempts to remove the status of a protected area or to exclude part of the territory from the protected zone are undertaken regularly in the regions of Russia 
For example, numerous attempts to change the borders have been made Yugyd Va National Park, Included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Virgin Komi Forests." Since 1994, according to activists, authorities at various levels have attempted to remove the Chudnoye gold deposit from the national park's boundaries at least 11 times. The most recent attempt, made in 2020, was met with an extremely negative public reaction. The federal agency ultimately abandoned it. refused.
In the Primorsky Krai, there have been several attempts over the past few years to revoke the natural monument status Razdolye River estuary (Tavrichesky estuary). In 2021, the regional administration submitted the project to liquidate the protected area for public consultation, arguing that the area could be used for tourism development. Environmental organizations and local residents spoke out sharply against, pointing out the estuary's unique role as a fish spawning ground. The authorities don't care made a decision not in favor of the monument, but to coordinate it with the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation didn't work out.
In Tatarstan in 2023, part of the territory Kazan Victory Park, which had the status of a specially protected natural area, tried to remove the protected area from protection for the construction of a new amusement park, despite protests from environmentalists and the presence of endangered species. In February 2024, the Kazan mayor's office approved the new boundaries of the protected area, adding some territories but simultaneously excluding the disputed area. However, the court then recognized This is illegal.
In Perm Krai in May 2023, local authorities decided to exclude from Protected Natural Area "Chernyaevsky Forest" The site where the recreation center is located. It was claimed that the area "does not represent any value within the ecological system." The decision triggered a series of lawsuits: activists, led by the former head of the city's environmental department, appealed it, and the regional court sided with the plaintiffIn March of this year, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation put an end to the story. 

Ruslan Valiev, publisher of Aspects, believes that Bashkir Soda Company may once again attempt to turn Kushtau or the neighboring Toratau mountain into a raw materials hub. After all, neither the authorities nor BSK have yet identified alternatives: 

"They probably won't covet Toratau—it's more of a tourist attraction than just a specially protected area. And Kushtau is at risk. In the context of the war in Ukraine, the same BSC could say, 'Sorry, friends, but despite all our love for the shihans, the country's defense is paramount, and there's nothing to replace BSC products with.' Soda is a strategic raw material, including for the defense industry. For example, you can't make an airplane windshield without it. In a war situation, it's unlikely any counterarguments from environmentalists and local residents will be effective."